Portable partition system

ABSTRACT

A portable partition system for subdividing an interior spaced comprising upright partition sections arranged edge to edge and pivotally connected by elongated vertical hinge members. The panel sections are constructed to visually close the joints between the partition sections.

United States Patent Thompson 1 Sept. 12, 1972 541 PORTABLE PARTITION SYSTEM [56] References Cited '[72] Inventor: Walter W. Thompson, Hazelhurst, UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,011,528 8/1935 Seay ..160/129 [73] Assignee: Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, 3,605,851 9/1971 Miles et al. ..l60/351 Mo. 1' Primary Examiner--Peter M. Caun [221 F11ed= Attorney-Whittemore,Hulbert&Belknap 21 Appl. No.: 92,766

57 ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. ..160/135, 160/229, 160/351 A Portable partition System for subdividing an interior 51 Int. Cl. ..A47g 5/00 Spaced comprising upright Partition sections arranged 581 Field 61 Search ..l60/128,129, 135,229,351; e to e and Plvotally connected y elongated 211/169; 5 /99 B, 99 C vert1ca1 hmge members. The panel sections are constructed to visually close the joints between the partition sections.

2Claims,4DrawingFigu1-es PAINTED 2 W SHEET 2 0F 2 F'IG.3 m /4 24 1 [1J1 IIIIIIII g Ill INVENTOR "641717? )1. THOMPSON ATTORNEYS PORTABLE PARTITION SYSTEM SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION system in which the shape of the partition may be varied by the hinge action between panel sections.

Another object is to provide a portable partition system which may be readily set up anywhere to provide booths, offices, reception rooms, etc.

' Another object is to provide a partition system which is designed to visually close the joint between panel sections to insure privacy.

Another object is to provide a portable partition system of the type in which appliances, electric plugs, speakers, etc., can be installed in the partition.

Another object is to provide a partition system which may have acoustical properties and which is strong and durable.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view taken on the line 1-1 in FIG. 2, showing parts in section and parts in plan looking at the partition system from above.

FIG. 2 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line 22 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section taken on the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the portable partition system comprises the individual vertical wall or partition sections and the elongated vertical hinge members 12 which connect the partition sections together in edge-to-edge relation.

The partition sections 10 are of identical construction. Each partition section 10 comprises an elongated top channel 14 extending lengthwise of the section, having a horizontal base 16 and vertically downwardly extending side flanges 18. The base 16 has an extension at one end providing a hinge portion or leaf 20 and formed with a circular hole or aperture 22. The base 16 has a horizontal extension at the opposite end which is in the plane of the base and provides a hinge portion or leaf 24 which has a circular hole or aperture 26. The hinge portion 20 is horizontal but spaced below the plane of the base 16 a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the base.

Each partition section 10 also has an elongated bottom channel 28 extending lengthwise of the section, having a horizontal base 30 and side flanges 32 extending vertically upwardly from the opposite side edges of the base. The base 30 has a horizontal extension at the same end of the panel section as the top hinge portion 20 which is in the plane of the base and provides a bottom hinge portion or leaf 34 which has a circular hole of aperture 36 vertically aligned with the aperture 22 in the hinge portion 20 of the top channel 14. The metal surrounding the hole 36 is stamped or flared upwardly to provide a cylindrical integral tubular hinge pin or plug 37 of circular cross section. At the opposite end, bottom channel 28 has an extension providing a bottom hinge portion or leaf 38 having a circular hole or aperture 39 vertically aligned with the aperture 26 in the top hinge portion 24. The bottom hinge portion 38 is horizontal but is offset upwardly from the plane of the base 30 by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the base.

Each panel section has the laterally spaced side facings or panels 40 and 42 which extend substantially vertically and are welded or otherwise secured to the outer surfaces of the depending flanges 18 of the top channel 14. The opposite ends of these panels 40 and 42 have right-angle vertical flanges 44 turned inwardly toward one another.

' Vertical strips or channels 46 close the ends of the partition sections. They are arranged so that the bases of the channels extend transversely between the side panels 40 and 42, having right-angle flanges 48 secured in surface-to-surface relation to the inner surfaces of the side panels 40 and 42 by any suitable means, such as welding. The channels 46 open outwardly as shown, and together with the flanges 44 provide a recess 49 for the hinge member 12.

The side panels 40 and 42 in this instance extend for a portion only of the vertical height of the partition sections, extending downwardly from the top channels but terminating above the bottom channels. The space beneath the side panels is closed by the laterally spaced base plates 50. Base plates 50 have upper vertical portions 52 which extend along the inner sides of the lower portions of panels 40 and 42. Such base plates are bent inwardly at 54 and have the lower vertical portions 56 spaced inwardly from the upper portions 52 and extending vertically downward along opposite sides of the flanges 32 of the bottom channel 28, being welded or otherwise suitably secured to the side flanges 32.

The interior space of the partition sections may if desired be filled with a suitable acoustical material such as a honeycomb core or sandwich having a suitable acoustical substance contained in the cells of the honey-comb. For better acoustical properties, the side facings or panels 40 and 42 may be perforated. The provision of acoustical material, while desirable, is not essential to this invention.

The partition sections 10 are connected together edge to edge by the elongated vertical hinge member 12 which is a tubular pipe or cylinder of circular cross section which extends substantially from top to bottom of the partition system. The partition sections are arranged so that the top hinge portions 20, 24 overlap with their apertures aligned, and also so that their bottom hinge portions 34,38 overlap with their apertures overlie and rest upon the upper end of the tube 12 with their apertures aligned with the tube. The tube can be installed by first overlapping the bottom hinge portions 34 and 38 so that the flaring plug 37 fits up through the aperture 39, then leaning or tilting the partition sections away from one another sufficiently to allow the tube 12 to be placed in position between the adjacent ends of the partition sections with its lower end over the plug 37, and then returning the partition sections to upright position with their upper hinge portions and 24 overlying one another and resting upon the upper end of the tube as shown in FIG. 2. The assembly is completed by the removable hinge pin or plug 62 which has the tubular section 64 of circular cross section inserted through the apertures in the upper overlapped hinged portions 20 and 24 into the upper end of the tube. The plug 62 has the annular outwardly extending flange 66 which in assembly rests upon the overlapped hinge portions 20 and 24.

It will be clear from the foregoing that the partition sections are pivotally connected to the hinge member 12 by the flaring integral plug 37 at the bottom and by the removable plug 62 at the top, and are free to pivot or swing with respect to one another about the axis of the hinge member 12 through an angle up to about 40.

It will be noted that the side panels 40 and 42 partially overlap the pipe or tube 12 to visually close the joint between the partition sections. The flanges 44 at the opposite ends of the panels terminate close to the tube 12 to more fully visually close the joint. These flanges 44 cooperate with the channels 46 to form recesses 49 in which the tube 12 is partially received. Thus as seen in FIG. 1 there would be no possibility of seeing through the joint between the partition sections even when they are disposed at a substantial angle to one another. Thus complete privacy is assured in the sub-divided space on either side of the partition system.

WHAT I CLAIM AS MY INVENTION IS:

1. A portable partition system for subdividing an interior space, comprising upright partition sections arranged in longitudinally spaced substantially edge-toedge relation, each section having an elongated horizontal top member and an elongated horizontal bottom member, said top members of said sections having end extensions providing top hinge leaves which overlap in the space between adjacent edges of said sections and have aligned apertures, said bottom members of said sections having end extensions providing bottom hinge leaves which overlap in the space between adjacent edges of said sections and have aligned apertures, an elongated vertical hinge member in the form of an open ended cylinder extending between the top overlapped hinge leaves and the bottom overlapped hinge leaves, and means pivotally connecting said hinge leaves to said cylinder comprising a flared tubular portion of the aperture of the lowermost one of the bottom overlapped hinge leaves providing an integral hinge pin projecting upwardly through the aperture in the other bottom hinge leaf and into the lower end of said cylinder, and a top hinge pin inserted downwardly through the apertures in the top overlapped hinge leaves and into the upper end of said cylinder, said top hinge pin being removable to permit the upper portions of said sections to be spread laterall suffi ientl to se ara the to h' e l and pei mit said cylinder to be lifted fro% S335 int e gi hinge pin and said sections to be disengaged from one another.

2. The Portable partition system defined in claim 1, wherein said partition sections have laterally spaced side panels, the space between said panels of each section at the edge thereof adjacent the other section being closed by a vertical edge strip, said panels of each section having marginal portions which extend beyond said edge strip and terminate in flanges turned inwardly toward one another, said marginal portions of the panels of each section including the inwardly turned flanges thereof cooperating with said edge strip to define an open vertical recess, said recesses of said partition sections facing one another and partially receiving said cylinder without contacting the latter to visually close the joint between said partition sections. 

1. A portable partition system for subdividing an interior space, comprising upright partition sections arranged in longitudinally spaced substantially edge-to-edge relation, each section having an elongated horizontal top member and an elongated horizontal bottom member, said top members of said sections having end extensions providing top hinge leaves which overlap in the space between adjacent edges of said sections and have aligned apertures, said bottom members of said sections having end extensions providing bottom hinge leaves which overlap in the space between adjacent edges of said sections and have aligned apertures, an elongated vertical hinge member in the form of an open ended cylinder extending between the top overlapped hinge leaves and the bottom overlapped hinge leaves, and means pivotally connecting said hinge leaves to said cylinder comprising a flared tubular portion of the aperture of the lowermost one of the bottom overlapped hinge leaves providing an integral hinge pin projecting upwardly through the aperture in the other bottom hinge leaf and into the lower end of said cylinder, and a top hinge pin inserted downwardly through the apertures in the top overlapped hinge leaves and into the upper end of said cylinder, said top hinge pin being removable to permit the upper portions of said sections to be spread laterally sufficiently to separate the top hinge leaves and permit said cylinder to be lifted from said integral hinge pin and said sections to be disengaged from one another.
 2. The Portable partition system defined in claim 1, wherein said partition sections have laterally spaced side panels, the space between said panels of each section at the edge thereof adjacent the other section being closed by a vertical edge strip, said panels of each section having marginal portions which extend beyond said edge strip and terminate in flanges turned inwardly toward one another, said marginal portions of the panels of each section including the inwardly turned flanges thereof cooperating with said edge strip to define an open vertical recess, said recesses of said partition sections facing one another and partially receiving said cylinder without contacting the latter to visually close the joint between said partition sections. 